Eighth Grade Is Going to Make You Glad You Didn't Have Snapchat During Puberty

Comedian Bo Burnham's directorial debut looks like a coming of age movie that gets what it's like to grow up in 2018.

Puberty, and eighth grade, is horrible for everyone, but every once in a while during your adult life it's hard not to freeze in abject horror at the thought of having to go through all that again, only right now. Out this summer, Eighth Grade is likely going to give you a firsthand look at growing up in 2018, and it looks like everything eighth grade was for you: Funny, horrifying, and weird as hell.

Eighth Grade is the first film written and directed by comedian Bo Burnham, a member of the first wave of people to become famous on YouTube via goofy songs that showed off his fondness for corny rapping and clever puns. As he matured, Burnham has spent some time working with bold comedians like Jerrod Carmichael (he directed Carmichael's excellent special, 8 ) as his comedy began to plumb the dark side of a world where we grow up broadcasting our lives—which makes Eighth Grade all the more exciting to see.

It doesn't hurt that it's anchored by Elsie Fisher, who looks like she's giving an incredible performance as the film's lead, Kayla—the kind of preteen who makes videos that start with "hey guys" and has no trouble expressing herself online, even if she is perceived as a wallflower.

The trailer really sells Eighth Grade's potential to be funny in ways that are contemporary yet classic all at once (like the tag at the end where older teens are amazed at how young Kayla was when she first got Snapchat). I can't wait to see the full thing.

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